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About The French Menu Cookbook

Now in paperback, this landmark, debut cookbook from Richard Olney is brimming with over 150 authentic recipes that capture the flavors and spirit of the French countryside.

Originally published in 1970, The French Menu Cookbook is one of the most important culinary works of the twentieth century. It has served as a foundational resource and beacon to cooks worldwide—including visionaries like Alice Waters—who redefined American cuisine. Well ahead of his time, Olney champions a seasonal approach to cooking and provides thoughtful, intriguing wine pairings. This revolutionary text offers masterfully arranged menus for every occasion, from casual dinners for two to decadent soirees. In paperback for the first time, this celebrated kitchen classic is a must-have for adventurous home cooks, chefs, gourmets, and Francophiles alike.

About The French Menu Cookbook

As those who knew him will attest, Francophile and food writer Richard Olney was one of a kind-a writerly cook who had a tremendous influence on American cooking via his well-worn cottage on a hillside in Provence. Born in the Midwest in 1927 and drawn to France at the tender age of twenty-four, Olney was unapologetically attracted to the style, flavors, and tastes of French cooking when most Americans were smitten by the wonders of the new prepared foods in their markets. With unrelenting passion and precision, Olney studied and explored the cuisine, carefully documenting all he had learned for future generations of chefs, cooks, and food lovers. His first of several landmark works, THE FRENCH MENU COOKBOOK, was well ahead of its time with its authentic French recipes and then-unheard-of seasonal approach to cooking. Little did we know then that THE FRENCH MENU COOKBOOK would provide inspiration for Alice Waters and her compatriots as they built the groundwork for a culinary revolution in America. Brimming with the honest and enlightening explanations of how the French really cook and the 150-plus authentic recipes, this book is a masterful resource that is a must for every serious cook.

From the Hardcover edition.

About Richard Olney

Born and raised in Iowa, RICHARD OLNEY (1927–1999) was one of the most distinguished and influential food writers in recent history. Olney moved to France in his mid-20s, and resided in Paris and Provence. He wrote a column for the… More about Richard Olney

About Richard Olney

Born and raised in Iowa, RICHARD OLNEY (1927–1999) was one of the most distinguished and influential food writers in recent history. Olney moved to France in his mid-20s, and resided in Paris and Provence. He wrote a column for the… More about Richard Olney

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Praise

“Earlier this year, OFM‘s expert panel voted this the best cookbook of all time. Only problem was it was out of print. But it has been reissued, so now everyone can delight in Olney’s passionate, idiosyncratic rendering of French cuisine.”—The Observer Food Monthly, 25 Best Cookbooks of 2010, 11/14/10

“The writer to whom Olney immediately demands comparison is Elizabeth David. The prose of each is characterized by an aesthetic sensibility enmeshed in the stabilizing regimen of a strictly imposed self-discipline.” —John Thorne, author of Pot on the Fire

“Richard Olney is someone who truly lives what he believes-cooking simply from the garden and drinking wonderful wines from the cellar. His FRENCH MENU COOKBOOK is an inspiration, giving a lasting insight into a special way of life.” —Alice Waters